Dubai, United Arab Emirates—— Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Wednesday they had released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a transport ship seized in November 2023 when Israel began attacking shipping in the Red Sea corridor during its war with Hamas.

The move by the Iran-backed Houthis marks their latest effort to deescalate attacks following a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump may consider whether to reinstate his terrorism designation of the group that was revoked by President Joe Biden.

The rebels said they released the sailors with Oman's mediation. Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has long been an interlocutor with the Houthis. Oman did not immediately acknowledge the release, but a Royal Omani Air Force jet flew to Yemen earlier on Wednesday and took off again about an hour after the Houthis announced the news.

The Houthis also said that Hamas separately demanded the release of 25 crew members on the ship, including sailors from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.

"This move is in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza," the Houthis said in a statement on the rebel-controlled Saba news agency.

Houthi rebels said they hijacked the Galaxy Leader because of its links to Israel. They then launched an operation targeting ships in international waters that was halted only by a recent ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Representatives for the owners of the Galaxy Leader had no immediate comment Wednesday.

The Bahamas-flagged vessel is owned by Israeli billionaire Abraham "Rami" Ongar, known as one of Israel's richest men.

The Houthis attacked the Galaxy Leader and the rebels launched a helicopter attack. The Houthis have been playing propaganda clips of the attack and at one point even filmed a music video on board the ship.

On Monday, the Houthis said they would now limit attacks in the Red Sea corridor to Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, but warned that wider attacks could resume if needed.

However, this may not be enough to encourage multinational companies to re-enter routes that are crucial for the movement of goods and energy between Asia and Europe. Their attacks have halved traffic in the region, severely cutting into revenue for Egypt, which operates the Suez Canal that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

The release of the ship's crew may now be an attempt to curry favor with the United States, even though the ship remains anchored near the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

"This gesture by the Houthis may be a goodwill measure towards the new Trump administration, possibly to delay their designation as a foreign terrorist organization," said Mohammed Basha, a Yemen expert at the Basha Report risk consultancy.

Since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip broke out in October 2023, the Houthis have targeted more than 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. 250 people were taken hostage.

The Houthis seized one ship, sank two vessels and killed four sailors in a battle. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by the U.S.- and European-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, including Western warships.

The rebels insist they only target ships with links to Israel, the United States or Britain. However, many of the ships attacked had little or no connection, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have slowed their attacks in recent weeks, particularly targeting ships at sea. This may be partly due to U.S. airstrikes. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the United States and its partners alone have launched more than 260 attacks against the Houthis.

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. They did not distinguish between civilians and combatants but said more than half of the dead were women and children.